


A Roll of the Dice

by auroradream



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Characters play D&D, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Sports Rivalry, Sterek Reversebang 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 06:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15358305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auroradream/pseuds/auroradream
Summary: Stiles Stilinski does not like Derek Hale. He plays baseball, finds any excuse he can to write Stiles up, and now he has to be in a D&D game with him.Derek Hale is annoyed by Stiles Stilinski. He is a stupid lax bro, has no respect for Quiet Hours, and is stupidly attractive.





	A Roll of the Dice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark/gifts).



> When I decided to join the 2018 edition of the Sterek Reversebang I wasn't sure what I was getting into, and then I saw all the amazing art that the artists came up with. There was one that grabbed my eye from the get-go and I was immensely lucky to get that piece for my inspiration. So, many, many thanks to [Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark) for the incredible piece of art that you submitted. You can see the art in all its glory [at their tumblr](http://1989dreamer.tumblr.com/post/176121089315/my-second-piece-for-sterekreversebang-2018-this).
> 
> Thank you to the mods of the event! You all have done an amazing job wrangling the cats that are all us authors and artists.
> 
> Thank you to [cinaea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinaea), for once again gracing me with your incredible beta work. You make it seem like I know what the fuck I'm doing.
> 
> And as always, thank you to the Listies.

* * *

 

For all intents and purposes, Scott was Stiles’s brother from another mother, and he loved the guy. He was his best friend, his partner in crime, his platonic other half. But fuck him and his bright idea to try out for the lacrosse team in high school. By some miracle of miracles, they both made it on the team way back when and it got them to where they were now. Which, all in all, was awesome, except for practice in high school versus college were two very different beasts.

Stiles scrubbed his hands over the back of his head before adjusting the bag of ice wrapped to his shoulder. “Dude, if I have to run another fucking suicide it will be too soon. I think Coach has it out for me.”

“Well,” Scott swiped his ID card through the machine as they entered the cafeteria, “to be honest, you did shrug off his initial count of 10 sets. I think he took it as a challenge.”

He pursed his lips tightly before blowing a hard breath through his nose and swiped his own card through the reader. “Fuck.”

“Yup.”

The two grabbed trays before heading to the hot plates to see what was available for dinner. Just before Stiles got in line for what looked like a rather good piece of roast beef, his eye caught on a flyer on the bulletin board. “Oooh, a D&D campaign!” He pulled out his phone and took a picture of the flyer before trailing after Scott.

They both filled their plates with various offerings (Stiles refrained from the cheesy broccoli and went for the plain steamed as part of his deal with his father to keep them both on a good diet), and made their way to the tables where the rest of the lacrosse team and some of their other friends were sitting. Danny scooted over just a bit to give Stiles some room next to him, the welt on Danny’s arm from their practice already turning purple. Jackson was in the middle of a story involving a squirrel and a first year that made Malia roll her eyes and throw a balled up napkin at her twin. Jackson dodged, and the projectile pegged Kira in the forehead.

“Abuse!” Kira shouted with a laugh before throwing it back at Malia. Allison dodged the rebound off of Malia’s shoulder and nearly fell into Lydia’s lap while laughing.

Scott settled on the other side of Jackson, his plate practically overflowing with pizza. “What did you say about a D&D campaign?”

“Oh!” Stiles pulled out his phone and swiped to the picture. “Look, a new one is starting up this weekend. It’s open for all player levels, new to experienced! I’ve been wanting to see if there were any people on campus who played, but I just never got around to it.”

“Color me not surprised that Stilinski is a fucking gamer nerd,” Jackson muttered.

“Dude, fuck off. You were fucking addicted to WoW last semester!” Danny said, pointing his fork at Jackson.

Scott pulled the phone closer. “Hey, I know the DM, Isaac. He’s in my Intro to Soc class; we partnered up for the first paper. Pretty quiet dude but seems cool. Though, he _is_ on the baseball team.”

There was a collective hiss around the table. Even a few chairs down some of their teammates hissed. It almost seemed like karma when a wet piece of lettuce landed with a splat on the table next to Danny’s plate. They turned to see some of the baseball team high-fiving one another. Jackson raised his middle finger at Derek Hale, who was watching with mild interest. The fourth year rolled his eyes before going back to his teammates.

“Why is your cousin such a fucking asshole?” Stiles moaned.

Malia shrugged. “I think Aunt Talia dropped him on his head as a baby.”

He huffed out a laugh, “The DM’s bad choice in teams aside, who wants to play a bit of D&D?”

Danny shook his head _no_. “I so would, but I loaded myself with 18 credits this semester, including my lab. I barely have enough time to shit as it is.”

Lydia scrunched her nose. “That was overly descriptive, Danny.” He shrugged with a smirk. “I’m out too. Honestly, I have no interest.”

“Ditto,” Malia and Allison chirped in unison.

“I’ve never played, but I’ve always been interested,” Kira said, leaning toward Stiles.

“Oh! It’s awesome!” Stiles cried.

***

“Stilinski is at it again.” Erica laughed, watching Stiles’s hands fly about in excitement while talking to Kira.

Boyd huffed. “He’s going to hit someone with his fork. I don’t get him.”

“Lingering ADHD and a dose of social anxiety and there you have it.” Laura said with a smile, resting her head on her twin’s shoulder. Derek shrugged his shoulder, trying to dislodge her, before giving up and picking up his fork.

“But seriously guys,” Isaac whined. “Come and be in my game. I want people I know in it!”

“No can do, sugar plum.” Erica said. “You’ve set this up during rugby practice, and I finally got a doctor’s note signing me off to play. I am not letting the chance pass by.”

“I’m in the same boat.” Cora said. “Buns should play though!”

“Yes!” Laura snapped her head off of Derek’s shoulder in excitement. “You should totally play, Derek! You used to always write those stories when we were kids!”

Derek could feel his face flushing. “Fuck you very much, Laur.”

“I’m in,” Boyd said, which caused Isaac to pump a fist in the air. “I played back in high school once, but I think I remember the rules. What gen rules are you using?”

“Come on, Derek,” Cora whined. “You need a bit of fun to break up your sad life of writing your senior thesis and crying about it being your last season of baseball.”

“I’m not crying about it being my last season.”

“Seriously, Derek,” Laura nudged him, “I heard you on the phone with Dad the other night. You weren’t quiet, and the walls in the apartment are disturbingly thin.”

Derek rolled his eyes at his sisters. “Stop being dramatic, Laura.”

“That said!” Laura rallied. “Cora, Buns probably wouldn’t even like it. I mean, how could something that doesn’t involve a bat be any fun?”

“True,” Cora said.

Derek narrowed his eyes. “I know what you’re doing, and it isn’t going to work.”

Laura’s eyes went wide. “What? I mean, you do have a history, a precedent even, of only being interested in things if they involve baseball or a new language.”

“Yeah, you turned down Paige last year to study for your Italian midterm!”

“And Jennifer for extra practice at the batting cage.”

“And Kate for the---”

“Fine!” Derek interrupted. “I’ll try Isaac’s stupid game!” His sisters high fived behind his back as he buried his head in his hands.

He felt fingers combing through his hair and looked up to see Erica leaning across the table. “Don’t worry, Der, I’m sure you’ll have fun.”

“Sure,” he muttered before he had to jump up and hold Jaccobs back from going after Robertson on the lacrosse team. Again.

It took a few minutes for Derek and Boyd to calm the rest of the team down to keep them from being banned from the caf for fighting. (The last ban was for a week that they couldn’t sit as a team. And while most were chill about it, Thompson and Huerta just about ugly cried after each practice when the best friends had to separate.) By then, Derek’s appetite was gone, and he just wanted to get to the library to study. It might have only been February, but it was never too soon to get ready for midterms. Plus, it was a proactive way to procrastinate on his senior thesis.

Apparently Laura, Cora, Erica, and Isaac had finished eating, too. Boyd gave an offhand wave while he continued to talk to Jaccobs. Derek tossed his trash and bussed the rest of the group’s trays and plates. By the time he reached them at the doors, he saw Isaac talking with McCall from the lacrosse team while Stilinski flailed in front of the girls.

He just rolled his eyes and walked past them all, not wanting to engage with the two lacrosse players anymore than he had to.

“What’s with that look?” he heard Erica ask from behind him.

“Hale has always had it out for me. Dude keeps busting us for the most stupid shit.” Derek could hear the sarcasm and distaste in Stilinski’s voice. He couldn’t help but slow down and listen.

“You were coming out of an RA suite holding an open fifth!” Isaac said while both his sisters let out shocked laughs.

“Okay, yeah, I did deserve it that time. But what about that time at Lydia’s?”

“It was an hour after quiet hours had started.” Scott sounded like he was already tired of the conversation.

Derek could practically hear Stilinski rolling his eyes. “Whatever. Or we could mention the Lawrence Hall incident.” Flesh hitting flesh followed a sharp “Ow!”

“You promised to not bring that up for the rest of the year!” McCall shouted.

At that point Derek didn’t feel like relivingany of the other times he’d been the RA on duty to bust Stilinski, McCall, and the rest of their group. Each time, Stilinski had loudly gripped about being busted—even if each incident didn’t get a write up, which Derek was supposed to do. He understood what it was like being away from home and finally having some freedom to let loose, but it was his job to make sure that students were at the very least not getting themselves into danger with their antics. It was usually only the blatantly stupid and dangerous stuff that he ended up writing people up for.

Blowing out a sigh that was equal parts frustration and exhaustion, Derek readjusted his backpack on his shoulders and continued on to the library.

***

“Okay, so we’re going to go over the setting, and everyone can roll up their players this session.” Isaac was walking quickly, clutching a stack of books to his chest; Derek could just see the fantasy style artwork of their covers. “If people get through character creation quickly enough, we might even do a quick intro session to get used to game play before we dive deep into the campaign.”

Boyd was nodding along as if what Isaac was saying made sense to him. Derek caught the gist of it but honestly still wasn’t convinced about the whole venture. He could hear Boyd ask Isaac something about stacking stats or something when they got to the third floor lounge of Lewis Hall.

It had just started snowing when they'd left the apartment, and Derek could see the dusting on the ground from the windows. He was pulling off his coat when he heard something hit the ground followed by McCall’s distinctive laugh. Isaac was already greeting Stilinski (who was the thing that had hit the ground), McCall, and an Asian girl that he thought was named Kayla or something.

“Dude,” Stilinski pulled himself off the ground and next to McCall on one of the couches, his train of thought apparently uninterrupted by his fall. “I gave Kira a rundown on character creation. She’s already chosen to be a Rogue Elf!”

Derek made himself comfortable next to the now identified Kira, tapping his notebook against his knee. Stilinski, Isaac, Boyd, and McCall were going back and forth about which gen, 3.5 or 4, was better and weren’t really paying the two of them any attention.

He leaned towards Kira. “Do you really understand how to play this?”

“Well,” Kira said, pulling out a book that said ‘Player’s Handbook’ on the cover, “I have an idea. Wanna work on our characters together? Maybe we can have it so they know each other in the game before everyone else meets, and we can fumble around together?”

He couldn’t help his grin. “That works. What are you playing again?”

Kira lit up, bouncing in her seat. “A Rogue Elf! So pretty much a thief slash stabby Tolkien-esque Elf. Or at least, that's what I’m making him or her. I’m thinking more Rivendell and less Loth Lorien.”

“Cool, um…what are the other things you can be?” Derek took the book she handed him and started flipping through the pages.

“Here, let me show you the different races!”  

They settled in together pretty well. Kira was easy to work with, and her enthusiasm made Derek feel less like a fish out of water. He could tune out the bickering across the table between Stilinski and Boyd when he and Kira needed to ask a question of Isaac. By the time they finished, Erica and Cora had left to go to the movies with Malia, Jackson, and Danny, and Derek was going to be playing a Human Bard. There were just too many different races to pick from, and honestly, he just wanted something simple.

“Wait!” He heard Stilinski shout while he and Kira were figuring out how their characters had first met. “You’re siding with a <i>baseball</i> player over me? Scott, I am betrayed! A betrayal most foul! How could you?”

“Dude!” McCall pushed Stilinski over while Kira and Boyd laughed at them. Isaac just looked confused, the poor kid.

It took Isaac a moment to get Stilinski and McCall to focus again. “So, when do we want to meet for our first session? This went a little longer than I expected.” He glared at Boyd for some reason. “I was thinking next week? Same place and maybe a bit earlier? That way if we go longer, it won’t make us late to the Deke party.”

Kira sat up in excitement. “You’re going to the Deke party too? Awesome! I hear that their Winter Blues party is the best! I didn’t get to go last year because I had a cold.”

They quickly wrapped up, planning to meet again next week. Kira babbled about making a group chat, and for a moment Derek silently bemoaned the fact that he’d have to actually visit Facebook more than once a week at this pace. McCall frowned when he looked at the time, and Stilinski suddenly shot up, shouting about calling his dad before dashing from the room. McCall stood and tossed a phone at Stilinski, who had re-appeared just in time to catch the phone and run out again. Derek couldn’t help laughing at the antics of the two friends, their familiarity with one another reminding him of his family. He and Boyd left the other three in the lounge and headed out.

***

Pre-season was ramping up, and Stiles found himself struggling with the increased workload of practice and upcoming midterms. The extreme change of temperatures from the cold outside to the warmth of the buildings wasn’t helping with him trying to not get sick. He could feel the tickle at the back of his throat just trying to become something. And it wasn’t like he wasn’t used to snow or the cold, NorCal being what it was, but fucking New York lake-effect weather was insane. He'd thought he would be better prepared for it this year, but fucking hell!

It didn’t help that he had to keep running between his dorm and the girls’ apartment. He, Lydia, and Malia were working on case studies for Abnormal Psych together, and their place was much quieter to work in than the suite he shared with Scott, Danny, Jackson, and four other lacrosse players. Over the last week they’d had to meet every other night, since the next case was due, and there had been differences in opinion on diagnosis.

They'd taken a short, snowy break from their projectand were walking back to the apartment from their loop around the quad, when Stiles caught sight of a familiar, dark-haired figure standing in front of a group of cowed looking first years. The kids looked like they would give anything to get away, and Stiles couldn’t help but feel for them. He heard Hale going on about quiet hours and smirked.

“ALL HAIL HALE! KING OF QUIET HOURS! KING OF ASSHOLES!” he shouted.

For a moment no one moved, and then Hale slowly turned to look at him. The look on his face was a priceless mix of constipation and resignation. The freshmen took the opportunity to flee, and Stiles felt like he’d done his good deed of the day. Especially since Hale was starting to turn slightly purple.

Stiles was just opening his mouth again, when a hand was clapped over his mouth. He gave a muffled shout of surprise.

“Sorry, cuz,” he heard Malia say from behind him. She was surprisingly strong, her nails kinda digging into his cheeks and arm where her other hand was gripping him. “I could have sworn he was housebroken, but it seems he's in need of more training.”

Hale’s face mellowed out, and he shook his head. “Honestly, I shouldn’t be that surprised. Keep him on a tighter leash, okay? I’m honestly tired of having to make excuses for why I’m not writing him up for being a dick.”

Stiles’s _What?!_  was garbled behind Malia’s hand as she began dragging him backward into the building. Lydia must have opened the door while he was distracted by Hale.

“I’ll try!” Malia tossed over her shoulder as she forcefully dragged Stiles around and shoved him into the apartment building.

Finally he was able to shake Malia’s hands away, and he turned to look at her and Lydia, who wore surprisingly identital looks of disappointment on their faces. They obviously were spending too much time together; them living with Kira and Allison was turning into a disaster.

“No!” Lydia said, pointing her finger in his face when he opened his mouth to talk. “Upstairs, now.”

“You’re going to be a terrifying and amazing mother,” he mumbled as he walked up the stairs.

“I know.”

***

Kira was glaring down at her character sheet at their first official game play session. “I walk up to Saadim and whisper ‘Come here often?’ I want to seduce her.”

“Well,” Isaac peeked over his DM shield, “roll for it.”

She eagerly gathered the dice into her palms and shook them, a sly grin forming. “Boom!” Kira tossed them across the table, and everyone leaned in to see the outcome.

“Fuck, again?” Boyd slouched back on the couch. Once again Kira had succeeded in seducing a random NPC that the company had come across. It was the third time, and Stiles has honestly really impressed.

Isaac chuckled. “Okay, so, she’s heard that line practically a million times before but somehow, this time, she is surprisingly charmed and turns to you. ‘Yes, but never have I seen someone as beautiful as you.’”

Everyone around the table laughed, and Stiles was even more amused to see Hale bring his hand up for a high-five and Kira slap it with a huge grin. The entire afternoon the two of them had been playing up their characters’ apparent history of having traveled together. And he had to admit that they had good player chemistry. Not that he was complementing Hale. No, that wasn’t happening.

“Well, while Kira is chatting up Saadim, I’m going to ask Martin about the job he had for us before we got interrupted by the bar fight.” Scott scooted closer to the table. “‘Martin, you said something about a job?’”

“‘Oh!’ Martin is still shaky from watching Saadim and Lelya beat up that half-orc.” Isaac fiddled with the pencil in his fingers. “‘Yes! There is a village that might be in need of your group’s particular talents!’”

Stiles couldn’t hold back his snort. “‘What? The ability to bash and destroy?’ And yes, that was in character.” He saw Hale roll his eyes and flipped him the bird.

“‘Mmm, bash, destroy. Krath likes those things.’” Boyd smirked while saying.

“‘No! The village needs rescuing from the rabid pack of wolves that has moved into the forest near them!’ Martin is actually a little green around the gills and is looking for Saadim.” Isaac turned to Kira. “What are Lelya and Saadim doing?”

“We are still flirting and um, I am now sitting on her lap?” Kira paused. “Would an elf fit on an Earth Genasi’s lap?”

Boyd nodded. “Yeah, easily. Especially since Saadim was described as being around your character’s height.”

“Okay, awesome!” Kira beamed at him and turned back to Isaac. “Lelya is sitting on Saadim’s lap and playing with her hair.”

“Make a perception check.” Isaac smirked at everyone’s groans.

“Dude! Come on, this is the first session! We’ve already had like, four perception checks and three bar brawls.” Stiles flailed and nearly fell off the couch.

“Dude!” came another shout, from fucking Jaccobs of all people. “Stilinski, we can hear you all the way down the hall. Shut the fuck up before I shut your mouth for you!”

Stiles felt Scott tense next to him before he saw Hale stand up. And fuck if he didn’t seem huge standing there, towering over the table and leaning in Jaccobs’ direction.

“Jaccobs. How about suicides at Monday’s practice?” Hale growled out. Like, fucking growled. It was disturbingly attractive.

The other baseball player went pink seeing his captain in the group and then when he saw Boyd and Isaac there, the guy's face turned tomato red. “Uh, that’s fine. I’ll be going back to my room, won’t I?”

“Yup,” Boyd said from his sprawled position.

Jaccobs turned and practically ran back to his room. Everyone in the lounge was quiet while Hale carefully sat back down next to Boyd. It was weird, but Stiles could have sworn that the tips of his ears were a bit pink in a blush.

It took Isaac a few minutes to get them back to the game, and for once they all passed the perception check. They took the job to protect the village, though Stiles couldn’t help ranting about how stupid it was to cast wolves as evil beasts, since they historically have been victimized for no real reason other than baseless fear and humans wanting to kill things. At that point Hale and Kira seemingly stopped paying attention and began quietly talking together, and Scott waved to Allison and Lydia, who had walked into the lounge with Danny and Jackson.

“So, next session, we’ll begin with you all entering the village. Okay?” Isaac had started gathering his papers and folding down his DM shield.

Everyone said their variations of yeses and helped him clean up. Stiles was on the ground, reaching under the couch for a rogue dice, when he heard Cora yell “Buns!” and Hale groan.

“Buns?” he mouthed to himself, grabbing the errant d10.

“Cora, seriously. Can’t you let that fucking name just die? It stopped being cute when I was like, 12.”

Hale’s family nickname was _Buns_? Stiles slowly pulled himself up, watching the siblings.

“Don’t even try to get them to stop,” Jackson said from his seat next to his best friend. “Aunt Talia still calls Dad Monkey, and he’s been trying to get her to stop for how long?”

“Dean Hale calls Professor Hale Monkey?” Stiles asked. He could feel the grin spreading across his face in pure glee.

Cora burst out laughing while Hale shook his head in exasperation. “You can't let Uncle Peter know you know that, Stiles. He’ll make life hell for us at the next family dinner.” She leaned against her brother, stifling her giggles.

He just shook his head and handed Isaac the d10. The whole Hale clan was fucking nuts.

***

Derek wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting at his desk, attempting to work on his senior thesis, but when Laura barged into his room, he knew it must have been closer to evening than when he started. She usually saved her Kramer level dramatic entrances until her last afternoon classes had fried all sense of propriety.

“Derek! Derek! Der! Buns! Bunny, bun-bun!” Laura threw herself across his unmade bed. She sniffed at his pillow and shrugged before flopping back against it.

He pulled his headphones off and paused the playlist he’d been listening to. “What?” He rolled his eyes at her faux innocent look. “What, Laur? I’ve got to work on my thesis, or Dr. Altman is going to have kittens at our check-in on Friday.”

She just grinned. “It’s the second Wednesday of the month.”

“Fuck.”

Ever since Derek could remember, the Hales had a standing tradition of family dinners every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. That meant that every family member made it to dinner if they were in the city. 90 percent of the time that just meant Derek and Laura’s immediate family plus Uncle Peter’s, but family from out of town occasionally passed through or stayed for a bit. Last month, both dinners had close to 15 people around the table and Derek was so behind in his class work, he would have chewed off his own arm if he’d thought he could have gotten out of it. He loved seeing his family, but all his teachers seemed to pile the work on those weeks. This time should only be the core family, but he still wasn’t thrilled to have the break in his work flow.

Laura sat up and nudged Derek in the shoulder with her foot. “Come on, Buns. You need to eat and honestly, I could smell your brains burning from the living room. I think that hamster in your head has fallen off the wheel from exhaustion. Give it a break. Come eat some food and snark at our cousins.”

He sighed, “Fine. But I want a shake from Jan’s on the way home.”

She smiled and bounced to her feet. “Great! I’ll text Cora to be ready in ten!”

The three of them tumbled out of Laura’s car forty minutes later at their parent’s house. Derek couldn’t help smiling at the soft glow of the windows that greeted them. The house he’d grown up in was tucked back from the road with trees surrounding it on three sides, the white snow reflecting the lights gently.

They shed their bulky coats in the front hall and joined their parents in the kitchen, soaking in the warmth that came from family. Peter, Malia, and Jackson arrived already mid argument, and soon everyone was sitting around the table passing plates and talking.

“So, Derek,” his mom started. “Laura told me about you playing some game with a few of your teammates?”

He shot a glare at Laura, who grinned at him through her mouthful of salad. “Um, yeah. Isaac, that sophomore transfer I told you about, started a Dungeons and Dragons game. Me and Boyd are playing, plus some others.”

“Anyone else we would know?” she asked.

“Well, there is a girl named Kira and then McCall and Stilinski from the lacrosse team."

“Stiles?” Peter perked up. “I have him in my Abnormal Psych class. I have never had a student argue themselves in circles quite like him.”

“Stilinski just doesn’t know how to shut up,” Jackson muttered.

“And neither do you!” Malia crowed while shoving her buttered roll into her twin’s face.

The two younger twins began pushing at one another before Malia pushed Jackson onto the floor and sat on him.

Peter glanced at them on the floor and sighed. “I could have sworn you two were twenty, not five. That said, Stiles is actually quite bright. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t end up in some of your classes, Robert.”

Derek’s dad was also in the Psychology department but tended to teach higher level, research-based classes.

“Oh, I’ve already met Stiles. He made himself known to me when he showed up at my office to discuss his idea for his senior thesis.” Robert grinned. “It took me about twenty minutes to realize he was a second year and not a senior.”

By this point Malia had let Jackson back up, and the conversation around the table drifted in a different direction. Derek, though, couldn’t get his mind off of Stilinski. Laura poked him and raised an eyebrow in question at his silence. He mouthed “later” to her and went back to his meal.

Once Cora was back at her dorm and they’d parked Laura’s car, they stayed in the vehicle looking across the campus. Snow had started again, and there was more white piling up. The air was slowly cooling in the car as they sat. It took Derek a minute to work up the nerve to talk.

“I graduate in three months and then I’m leaving.”

Laura nodded, not saying anything, knowing that Derek needed to take his time.

“I have three months to finish my senior thesis and play my last games of ball with this team. We might even make playoffs this year. And somehow, on top of all these things, plus my classes, I’ve gotten roped into a game with this kid that somehow hates me and I can’t stop thinking about. I see him all the time on campus; he’s just always there. He’s always there. And he hates me.”

Laura took a deep breath. “I think he doesn’t hate you as much as you think. But, I get your stress.”

They smiled at one another before Laura suddenly brightened. “We forgot Jan’s! Come on, Buns!” She turned the car back on. “Text Boyd, Erica, and Cora! Time for shakes in the snow!”

Derek laughed and pulled out his phone.

***

It was two gaming sessions later that Stiles had his epiphany. Well, not so much an epiphany as a clue-by-four in the shapes of Lydia Martin and Malia Hale. The day had started off just fine, normal even; they’d had Saturday morning practice, he’d gotten in a little studying, and lunch was just him and Scott shooting the shit. So by the time Derek and Laura Hale walked into the lounge while Isaac was setting up for the game, Stiles felt like it was just a typical Saturday.

The non-players—Laura, Erica, Allison, Cora, Malia, and Lydia—were sitting at a table in the lounge, books and papers around them. They weren’t being distracting at all, but Stiles could have sworn that he kept hearing his name. And the second time that Hale had to get his attention for something in game, he suddenly snapped.

“Fuck off, Hale! God damn it, why are you always on my case? Why can’t it you just chill the fuck out?” Stiles yelled.

“Dude!” Scott said.

“Not cool, Stiles. Take ten from your experience points.” Isaac said, shaking his head. Kira and Boyd were shaking their heads, too, and Hale was just looking down at his lap.

Stiles could feel his face heating up as the blood rushed to it, turning him bright red. “Shit, sorry.” He stood. “I need a moment. I’ll be right back.”

“No.” Isaac brought his hand up to pause Stiles. “Listen, why don’t we stop here today? I think we’re all a bit stressed and could use the study time for midterms.”

Stiles moved to pick up his character sheet and maybe talk to Hale and apologize for being a dick, but he felt a slender hand wrap around his elbow, pulling him back.

“Walk with us,” Lydia had a hold of him. Malia was with her, looking a bit stony faced.

He looked over his shoulder, hoping for help from Scott, but his bestie was talking with Kira and Allison. By then Lydia had already pulled him a few feet away, and he knew there was no getting out of whatever she wanted.

“And how can I help you two lovely ladies?” Stiles tried to get his feet under himself and feel less like he was being dragged along.

“For one you can stop being a shit to my cousin for no reason.” Malia always had a blunt way about her that Stiles actually found mildly attractive.

“Well, he needs to stop—” He started, but Lydia cut him off. Somehow, they were already at the dorm coffee shop, and she was ordering for them all. She raised an eyebrow at him, and Stiles blew out a breath before pulling out his wallet to pay for the three coffees.

As they waited for their drinks, Lydia kept Stiles quiet with sharp looks each time he opened his mouth. Malia had wandered over to some armchairs and scared a pair of first years away, so when they came over with the drinks, they all had places to sit. Once they had settled in and Stiles had taken his first sip of his latte, he looked at Lydia and sighed.

“I know I was being a dick. I was going to apologize before you and Malia dragged me out, you know.”

“And next time you ran into him, you would have still been a dick to him.” She said. “It’s getting boring, this stupid pigtail pulling shtick you have with him.”

Stiles sputtered, almost snorting hot milk and coffee out his nose. “What?”

Malia rolled her eyes. “You act like a fucking third grader around him. I think it is stupid for me to be butting into my cousin’s lack of love life, but shit. Stiles, you have to be more self aware than this. I mean, you _are_  a Psych major, and you're not a total idiot. You knew when I was flirting, and my way of flirting is just as juvenile according to the rest of my family.”

“You look like a fish,” Lydia said while Stiles opened and closed his mouth, unable to bring words forward. “You have this grudge over him catching you doing stupid shit. It is his job, literally. And the number of times he hasn’t written you up for your shit outweighs anything he may have written you up for. And if you are just being a dick about him being on the baseball team while you are on the lacrosse team, get over it even faster. We all go to the same school and have a very similar friend group.”

All Stiles could do was nod and drink his coffee. Everything they were saying wasn’t revolutionary to him; it made sense. Plus, even _he_  was tired of trying to find reasons to dislike Hale. For all that he was made of eyebrows and biceps, Hale was pretty chill and fun to game with—seeing him bro out with Kira was sometimes the best part of the game. He was surprisingly funny and was an interesting storyteller.

“Fuck.” Stiles put his head in hands, coffee dangling between his knees.

He felt familiar fingers petting through his hair and heard Malia say, “And there it is.”

Malia did the kind thing and steered the conversation to their Abnormal Psych midterm and the study session they had planned for the next day. She was complaining about the cackling she’d heard from her father’s office the other day and said she was glad that their TA did the grading and not him.

***

Stiles gave himself a day to work things through his brain before he made his way to the library and the table that he knew Hale liked to frequent. Hale was bent over his laptop and had papers and books surrounding him. He was wearing thick framed glasses. How had Stiles never seen him in glasses?

Stiles just stood there, staring, until Hale looked up and startled at Stiles’s appearance.

Hale frowned a bit and looked around.

“I come in peace!” Stiles said, hands up. “I wanted to first of all apologize. I’ve been a dick. More than a dick, I’ve been an asshole of the first order. I seriously let shit get out of hand, and I’m sorry.”

Hale was silent before nodding. “Yeah, okay. What’s your second thing?”

Stiles’s eyes widened, he hadn't thought Hale...Derek, would be so nice about that. Stiles really was a bigger dick than him. He quickly sat down, pulling his bookbag off his shoulders. “You had Jones for your English 202, right? What does she _actually_  want for the midterm paper? The syllabus contradicts itself, but when I asked her about it, she just said to check the syllabus!”

Derek laughed and moved his books aside, turning to Stiles. “Yeah, I remember that class. Show me the syllabus again? I think I remember the important guidelines.”

Stiles pulled out the papers, and the two of them bent over the papers, Derek pointing out the lines that he remembered her grading on. The two of them tossed ideas back and forth for a while, and Stiles couldn’t help being entranced by Derek.

This was the first time that he’d really studied the other student. He knew Derek was an intense baseball player, the team captain, and an honor student, but he had never really noticed his humor and how self deprecating he was. The guy even did the whole Chris-Evans-left-boob-grab when he laughed. His hair was really fluffy looking, standing up a little from all the times Derek’s strong fingers had run through it.

Had he really been doing that whole pigtail flirting thing that Malia said he’d been doing? His mom probably would have smiled and laughed if he’d come to her with this whole thing. She would have said that her little Mischief was causing mischief.

“Hey, Derek?” Stiles suddenly said. They had been working quietly for a few minutes.

“Yeah?” Derek looked up at him from the book he’d been highlighting.

“Can we start over?”

Derek was silent before nodding, a soft flush coming to his cheeks. “Sure.”

Stiles held out his hand to Derek. “Hi, I’m Stiles Stilinski. No, Stiles isn’t my real first name, but it is easier to deal with. I play lacrosse and sometimes am a giant asshole.”

"Well, I don't know about giant asshole. Maybe jerk, though."

"Hey!" Stiles exclaimed, starting to retract his hand.

But Derek laughed and took Stiles's hand. “I’m Derek Hale. Yes, I am related to one of the deans and two of the teachers here. I play baseball and have been known to be a jerk, too.”

They shook and went back to their studying.

***

After midterms, spring break loomed. The lacrosse team had two overnight away games before most everyone on the team went home, but Stiles and Scott did not have the money to fly back to California from dear old New York and were planning on spending the rest of the week on campus and vegging.

The baseball team was returning from their own games when the lacrosse bus pulled in.

Stiles waved to Derek, who waved back, both actions causing Scott to gape at them.

“Since when are you and Derek getting along?” he demanded on the walk back to their suite, Jackson and Danny walking just a bit ahead of them.

Stiles ran a hand through his hair. “I talked to him last week. Apologized for being a dick, and he helped me with my midterm paper for Jones. He had her when he was in 202. We made up.”

“Finally!” Jackson shouted from in front of them. “I’m tired of you being a dick and me having to watch my cousin moon over you!”

Danny hit Jackson across the back of his head, making him yell. “Don’t be a bigger dick than you already are, Jacks. I think it is great that Stiles is finally growing up and getting his head out of his ass.”

Stiles laughed and pushed forward, pulling his keys out to unlock the door to the suite. “You’re just jelly that I got the winning goals for both games!”

After putting their gear away and grabbing snacks, the four found themselves in the central space of the suite, settling in for some games of Call of Duty. Soon Isaac, Boyd, and Cora showed up, hanging with them all and relaxing. The baseball team had only won one of their games, but the one they'd lost didn’t count for the division playoffs, so they were still in high spirits. For a few hours they all sat around and played, but Stiles was full of energy, so he waved off the next game and got up to walk around campus.

He grabbed a coat and scarf, quietly cursing the fact that he still needed both in March. About halfway between the quad and the library, he saw Derek and sped up.

“Derek! What are you doing out and about?” Stiles asked.

Derek turned and grinned at Stiles, wagging the radio walkie-talkie in his hands. “Rounds. Since I’m staying on campus for spring break, there is no rest for the weary.”

“Want company?”

The flush he’d noticed back in the library was back, spreading across the tops of Derek’s cheeks. “Yeah, that’d be cool.”

They walked along the quiet paths of the school, going from building to building. Mainly the campus was empty, but there were a few enclaves of students studying or playing around. They were just exiting the first year dorm when Derek broke their easy silence.

“So, how did you end up on the East Coast? I remember you saying that you and Scott are from California?”

Stiles huffed a laugh, watching his breath leave him in a puff of white. “Yeah. Me and Scotty are best friends from elementary school. We hadn’t actually both planned go come here, but we both got recruited by the lacrosse team and we both liked the programs here.” Stiles frowned. “I didn’t realize though how hard it would be to be away from my dad.” At Derek’s questioning noise, Stiles sighed. “My mom died when I was 10.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” Stiles sighed again. “She’s the reason I got into Psychology. I mean, she was a counselor, which is what I’m thinking of doing, but she also died of dementia. She had a type called frontotemporal dementia, which can hit you young like she was. It was hard to watch her waste away, and Dad and I had a really hard time for a long time. But I know she’d be happy for us and where we are now.”

He shook his head and looked at Derek. “Sorry, downer. What about you? I mean, I kinda know how you ended up here. That whole Hale legacy and everything.”

It was Derek's turn to sigh. “Yeah.” He was silent for a moment before continuing. “I almost didn’t come here. I wanted to go somewhere where I wasn’t known. Where there wouldn’t be teachers who had seen me grow up and where I didn’t know where all the best places already were. I know more about the best places to smoke up than most stoners, and I’ve never been to them as a student. Got it all out back in high school. But in the end, I do love this school and it offered me the best chances for after graduation.”

He shrugged. “I guess that’s why I’m moving to Boston when I graduate; I’ll finally have that chance to start over. I have a job waiting for me and a sublet.”

“Boston isn’t too far away, you can still come visit.”

“Yeah, I mean my family is all here; they’re a reason to stop by frequently.”

“What about friends?” Stiles felt his heart beating in his throat. He knew Derek would come and visit his friends, he was that type of person. So was that the question he really wanted the answer to?

Derek glanced at Stiles, a question furrowing his brow. “Are you asking if we’re friends?”

“Um, not really…” Stiles stammered, pulling Derek to a stop and turning him to face him. He took a deep breath and looked into Derek’s eyes. Shit, how had he never noticed how amazing they were? This amazing mix of green, blue, and flecks of brown.

“I’m asking if maybe...maybe you’d go on a date with me, and if those dates keep happening, you’d come visit me, as more than a friend.”

Derek stared at Stiles, the smile that had been lurking at the corner of his lips slipping away as his mouth fell open in surprise. “Are you serious?”

Stiles bit his lip and nodded. He couldn’t keep looking at Derek’s eyes, so he flicked his gaze around them, unable to settle anywhere until he felt warm fingertips touch his check. He looked at Derek again to see him smiling, eyes crinkled up in joy and his bunny teeth just peaking out. Stiles felt his own mouth stretch into a grin.

The warm fingers drew him closer, and his eyes slipped closed as their lips met. The two of them could barely kiss through their smiles.

Cold, wet flakes of snow finally pulled them apart, and Stiles couldn’t help his laughter.

“Did our first kiss seriously happen just as it started snowing?”

Derek laughed and pulled Stiles close again. “You jerk.”

“Your jerk!”

***

“How is it that our goddamned tank botches all his attack rolls, but our bard is like some savant and keeps getting crits?” Stiles yelled, flopping back on the couch.

Derek laughed beside him, throwing an arm around his shoulders and kissing his temple. He couldn’t believe that he liked this dork. “You’re just mad that you’re knocked out for the round.”

“Damn right I am,” Stiles muttered.

Kira crowed when her next roll knocked the monster out. “I loot the body!”

Isaac rolled his eyes. “Fine, you find three empty vials, five gold pieces, and a knife of dubious quality.”

“Lelya tosses the vials over her shoulder and pockets the gold. The knife she also tosses over her shoulder.” Kira is grinning.

“You do realize that Scott is standing behind you still?” Isaac is fighting a grin.

Kira had a look in her eyes that Derek had gotten to know while playing with her and grinned. Somehow, he had come to look forward to every Saturday, when their wayward group would travel about and try to defeat monsters and save villages. Boyd had a secret nerdy side and had gotten into some hilarious arguments with Stiles and Isaac about the rules. Scott was pretty lazy about it all, but still enthusiastic. Kira was vicious and maniacal. And Stiles, _his_  Stiles, was well, a jerk. But his jerk.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art for A Roll of the Dice by auroradream](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15376242) by [gremlins-came-and-got-me (Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scared_Beings_in_the_Dark/pseuds/gremlins-came-and-got-me)




End file.
